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Attend the Public Meeting for the Beaver River Watershed

The Beaver River Watershed: How You Can Help

Public Meeting
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Wed. Feb. 6, 6-8 PM

The Beaver River Watershed is a watershed directly south of the Peel Watershed that is about to undergo Subregional Land Use Planning. ATAC Resources Ltd. wants to put in a 65-km access road to the Rau gold deposit in an area full of other mining claims – but the road can't go ahead without Land Use Planning.

The “Road to Rau” went through the YESAB process. YCS and others raised the issue that the area does not have a Land Use Plan. As a solution, Yukon government and Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation have agreed to embark on a Sub-regional Land Use Planning process. This is a step below the typical Regional Land Use Planning process (such as the North Yukon and Peel Watershed processes).

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Sub-regional Land Use Planning has occurred in the Yukon. If it's done right, it's a chance to assess the cultural and ecological values of the land, establish the potential impacts of this road and the mining it would enable, and look at opportunities for conservation.

So far, the assessment process for the Road to Rau hasn't been comprehensive. YCS is concerned about potential cumulative impacts on fish and wildlife and the lack of a full assessment on the impacts on salmon habitat. The proposed road would cross 73 rivers and streams.

There is an official public meeting for the Beaver River Watershed Land Use Plan on Wednesday, February 6th, 6 – 8 PM at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. Please attend to learn more and speak up about the importance of getting this Land Use Plan right.

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